Bowling ball multiple seat carrier



March 29, 1966 J. A. SKRLEC BOWLING BALL MULTIPLE SEAT CARRIER Filed Oct. 14, 1963 INVENTOR.

JOHN A. SKRLEC ATTORN EYS United States Patent s 243 217 BOWLING BALL MUL'EIPLE SEAT CARRIER John A. Skrlec, 25355 Ronald, Roseville, Mich. Filed Oct. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 316,072 2 Claims. Cl. 294-46) This invention relates to bowling ball carriers and more particularly to a novel and improved bowling ball carrier adapted to carry a plurality of bowling balls.

In the operation of bowling establishments it is necessary many times to transport a number of balls from one alley to another, and such activity is time consuming. Each of the balls has to be separately carried from one alley to another alley, and much time could be saved if the balls could be transported in groups containing a plurality of balls. Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a bowling ball carrier having a plurality of seats for carrying a plurality of bowling balls.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved bowling ball carrier for transporting a plurality of balls, and which carrier is simple and compact in construction, economical of manufacture and eflicient in Operation.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved bowling ball carrier for.

carrying a plurality of bowling balls which comprises a pair of ball gripping members wherein each of said ball gripping members is provided with a plurality of ball seats and said carrier further includes means for hingedly connecting said pair of gripping members together with the ball seats and one of the gripping members being operatively aligned with the ball seats and the other gripping member so that the carrier may grip a plurality of bowling balls therebetween in said seats.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, appended claims, and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bowling ball multiple seat carrier made in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, with the balls removed, taken along the line 22 thereof and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a leftcnd elevational view of the carrier illustrated in FIG. 1, with the balls removed, taken along the line 33 thereof and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 and showing the carrier in an open position for receiving a plurality of bowling balls;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the carrier structure illustrated in FIG. 1, with two of the end balls removed, taken along the line 55 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken along the line 66 thereof and looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged elevational sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, taken along the line 7-7 thereof and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing and in particular to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 wherein is shown a multiple bowling ball carrier made in accordance with the principles of the present invention, the numeral 10 generally indicates a first ball gripping member and the numeral 11 generally indicates a second ball gripping member. The ball gripping members 10 and 11 are hingedly connected together, as more fully described hereinafter, for the purpose of 3,243,217 Patented Mar. 29, 1966 gripping a plurality of bowling balls for carrying the balls from one place to another. The ball gripping members 10 and 11 are similarly constructed and the ball gripping member 10 will be described in detail and the similar parts of the ball gripping member 11 will be marked with corresponding numerals followed by the small letter a.

The ball gripping member 10 comprises an elongated support member or beam which includes the central portion 12 and the integral end portions 13 and 14. The beam portions 12, 13 and 14 are all arched and are formed convexly on the upper sides thereof. As shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 7, the beam portions 12, 13 and 14 are concavely shaped both in the transverse and longitudinal directions. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the lower surfaces of the beam portions 12, 13 and 14 are concavely formed in the transverse and longitudinal directions as indicated by the numerals 15, and these portions also have an outer downwardly extended wall portion 16. It will be seen that the lower longitudinally and transversely concaved surfaces of the beam portions 12, 13 and 14 coact with the outer wall portions 16 to provide a plurality of bowling ball seats.

The aforementioned bowling ball seats further include a plurality of ball gripping jaws as described hereinafter.

As best seen in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, the gripping member 10 is provided with a pair of outer end jaws 17 and 18 which are integrally formed with the outer ends of the beam portions 13 and 14. The outer surfaces of the jaw members 17 and 18 are convexly formed and the inner surfaces are concavely formed so as to fit on the curved surface of a bowling ball. The lower ends of the jaws 17 and 18 are curved downwardly and both inwardly longitudinally and inwardly transversely to present a substantial hook-shaped lower end for grasping or gripping a bowling ball. The gripping member 10 further includes a pair of inner spaced apart jaws 19 and 20 which are integrally formed on the ends of the central beam portion 12. The jaws 19 and 20 extend downwardly and are curved inwardly transversely. The jaws 19 and 20 are provided on both of the sides of each of these jaws with concave surfaces for mating engagement with a bowling ball. It will be seen that the aforedescribed jaw members and beam members cooperate with their corresponding parts in the adjacent gripping member to form a plurality of bowling ball seats for gripping a bowling ball in each of the seats for transporting the bowling balls between desired locations for the same.

As shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 and FIG. 6, the gripping members 10 and 11 are hingedly connected by means of a pair of interengaged handles. The gripping member 10 is provided with a handle comprising an integral, upwardly extended pair of spaced apart legs 23 and 24 which are interconnected at the upper ends thereof by the integral horizontal cross member or handle 25. The gripping member 11 is provided with a similar pair of integral, upwardly extended legs 26 and 27 which are interconnected at the upper end thereof by the handle 28.

As best seen in FIG. 6, the handle leg members 23 and 26 are hingedly connected by means of the bolt 29 which passes through the holes 30 and 31 and the handle leg members 23 and 26, respectively. The bolt 29 is maintained in place by a suitable lock nut as 32. The handle legs 24 and 27 are similarly connected by an identical bolt and nut means 29 and 32, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In use, the gripping members 10 and 11 are moved to the ball release position shown in FIG. 4 with the handles 25 and 28 moved apart from each other. In order to grasp a plurality of balls as shown in FIG. 1 by the numerals 33, 34 and 35, the device of the present invention is positioned over three balls on a rack with the gripping members in the position shown in FIG. 4. The handles 25 and 28 are then swung towards each other whereby the gripping members 10 and 11 are moved to the ball gripping position shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5. The halls may then be moved to a new location by grasping the handles 25 and 28 and retaining them in the ball gripping position and carrying the device to the new location. Experience has shown that the device of the present invention is an etficient and practical tool for a bowling ball establishment. The gripping members 10 and 11 may be made from any suitable material, as for example, a suitable lightweight material or light plastic material.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. A bowling ball carrier for carrying a plurality of bowling balls, comprising: a pair of ball gripping members; each of said ball gripping members including an elongated, longitudinally extended support member disposed in a horizontal position during a ball carrying operation; each of said elongated support members having a plurality of ball seats formed on the lower sides thereof; means pivotally connecting said pair of elongated support members together, with each of the ball seats on one of the elongated support members being operatively disposed opposite one of the ball seats on the other elongated support members; each of said ball seats including a surface on the lower side of the respective elongated support member which is concavely formed in both the transverse and longitudinal directions, and which surface faces inwardly toward the oppositely disposed ball seat on the other elongated support member; each of said ball seats further including a ball gripping jaw integrally connected to the respective elongated support member at each end of each of said surfaces and depending downwardly from the horizontally disposed elongated support member in a ball carrying position; each of the jaws of a ball seat have an inner surface which is concavely formed in the transverse and lengthwise directions of the jaws and which form continuations of the concave ball seat surface on the elongated support member; the lower ends of the jaws being curved downwardly and inward from the respective elongated support member, in both the transverse and longitudinal directions; a handle connected to each of the elongated support members for moving the ball gripping members between ball releasing and ball gripping positions.

2. A bowling ball carrier for carrying a plurality of bowling balls as defined in claim 1, wherein: the ball seat concave adjacent jaw surfaces for adjacent ball seats on an elongated support member are formed on a unitary jaw member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,572,243 2/ 1926 Newton 29487.24

1,918,486 7/1933 Onos 294--87.24

1,974,255 9/ 1934 Behrenot 29487.24

2,219,558 10/1940 Jacobson 294--118 2,747,917 5/1956 Smith 2941 16 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,056,460 2/ 1954 France.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

0 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Examiner.

A. GRANT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BOWLING BALL CARRIER FOR CARRYING A PLURALITY OF BOWLING BALLS, COMPRISING: A PAIR OF BALL GRIPPING MEMBERS; EACH OF SAID BALL GRIPPING MEMBERS INCLUDING AN ELONGATED, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDED SUPPORT MEMBER DISPOSED IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION DURING A BALL CARRYING OPERATION; EACH OF SAID ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBERS HAVING A PLURALITY OF BALL SEATS FORMED ON THE LOWER SIDES THEREOF; MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID PAIR OF ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBERS TOGETHER, WITH EACH OF THE BALL SEATS ON ONE OF THE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBERS BEING OPERATIVELY DISPOSED OPPOSITE ONE OF THE BALL SEATS ON THE OTHER ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBERS; EACH OF SAID BALL SEATS INCLUDING A SURFACE ON THE LOWER SIDE OF THE RESPECTIVE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBER WHICH IS CONCAVELY FORMED IN BOTH THE TRANSVERSE AND LONGITUDINAL DIRECTIONS, AND WHICH SURFACE FACES INWARDLY TOWARD THE OPPOSITELY DISPOSED BALL SEAT ON THE OTHER ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBER; EACH OF SAID BALL SEATS FURTHER INCLUDING A BALL GRIPPING JAW INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TO THE RESPECTIVE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBER AT EACH END OF EACH OF SAID SURFACES AND DEPENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBER IN A BALL CARRYING POSITION; EACH OF THE JAWS OF A BALL SEAT HAVE AN INNER SURFACE WHICH IS CONCAVELY FORMED IN THE TRANSVERSE AND LENGTHWISE DIRECTIONS OF THE JAWS AND WHICH FORM CONTINUATIONS OF THE CONCAVE BALL SEAT SURFACE ON THE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBER; THE LOWER ENDS OF THE JAWS BEING CURVED DOWNWARDLY AND INWARD FROM THE RESPECTIVE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBER, IN BOTH THE TRANSVERSE AND LONGITUDINAL DIRECTIONS; A HANDLE CONNECTED TO EACH OF THE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBERS FOR MOVING THE BALL GRIPPING MEMBERS BETWEEN BALL RELEASING AND BALL GRIPPING POSITIONS. 